Hospital Surge Capacity Readiness: Keeping Patients Safe with Containment Solutions (ICRA 2.0)

Respiratory illnesses are on the rise across North America. A surge of COVID-19 cases combined with viral strains of the flu and RSV has made it a particularly fierce season for all kinds of respiratory infections. Healthcare facilities are seeing an increased need for critical services and supplies and are quickly running out of space, while the number of patients with respiratory infections is only expected to grow.

Infection control risk assessment (ICRA) requirements call for six feet of spatial separation between infected sources and susceptible hosts, so building cubicles and barriers may be necessary in waiting rooms, triage areas, and treatment spaces. In addition, it's best practice to use single-bed room accommodations for patients whenever possible. If single rooms aren’t available due to capacity constraints, it's important to ensure the same ICRA spatial separation recommendations are met. 

Containment Products

Modular temporary containment barriers like our Shield Wall™ system are gaining traction in the healthcare construction industry due to their adaptability. The system can be configured to create anterooms or standalone patient areas. Temporary containment solutions are easy to set up and an excellent option for quickly creating emergency quarantine areas and patient intake spaces, especially when combined with a HEPA air filtration device. Modular containment systems like Shield Wall™ are durable with fully wipeable interior and exterior surfaces, making them easy to sanitize and an ideal solution for critical care environments.

HEPA Air Filtration Systems 

Containment barriers are effective for enclosing a space but can’t eliminate what’s already in the air.  Portable air filtration units can be added for infection control and to reduce healthcare associated infections (HAIs).  They contain HEPA filters tested and certified to provide 99.97% or higher efficiency overall against 0.3-micron particles. Using temporary containment walls combined with a HEPA air filtration system like our HEPA-CARE® portable models, healthcare facilities can quickly convert almost any room into a CDC-compliant patient isolation room. Our available ceiling-mounted models place the filtration system completely out of the way of patients and staff, while portable air scrubbers (PAS) like our PRED750 are lightweight filtration options that can be brought into small spaces with minimal disruption.

Assessing Your Current Response Plan 

Preparation is essential for maintaining healthcare facility operations and delivering quality patient care amid any crisis. Periodically reassessing preparedness levels can help healthcare facilities identify gaps and prioritize future purchasing requirements. 

Abatement Technologies offers a complete range of products designed to help adapt existing healthcare spaces and combat surge capacity restraints. Our fully-trained Aire Guardians are ready to help recommend an affordable preparedness package to cover the needs of your facility in supporting both your staff and your patients.

Contact us today to learn more about how our solutions are essential in managing surge capacity.